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Activists Want To Punish Spectators At Animal Fights

Posted on August 1, 2013 by chriscallahan

Animal-welfare groups are trying to make it a federal crime, punishable by jail, to be a spectator at an animal fight. Both the U.S. House and Senate versions of the farm bill, which is now being negotiated, include prohibitions against attending an animal fight. According to Wayne Pacelle of the Humane Society of the United States, spectators are not innocent bystanders. He says federal law enforcement agencies should be able to go after them. It’s already a felony in Virginia to attend an animal fight, punishable by fines and a maximum of five years in jail. Pacelle said the spectator prohibition act would fortify the Virginia law, and take away incentives for dog fighting and cockfighting across the nation. The legislation is available at GovTrack.us.